Cherry Blossoms In Winter
by LeAxel96
Summary: She was unique with pink hair and all but he still reached out to her. He was all she wanted but her sense of duty won't let her get closer. TobiraSaku.
1. Chapter 1

She opened her eyes to the sound of the birds chirping.

But it was no use...

Opening them to see familiar darkness was normal but waking up to birds chirping was not.

It was too... lively...

Where was the smoke and destruction, the smell of blood, the cries of the wounded, the sense of hopelessness?...

But there was no time to think about that, there was someone close by, friend or foe, she did not know.

'To the left'

She did not move but was aware of the intruder. Reaching for her kunai pack discreetly, hoping her movements were subtle enough not to be noticed.

"What is the woman doing out here in the middle of the forest?" the intruder said. His tone may have sounded friendly but there was a distinct edge to it.

Finally, she looked at the intruder's general direction, noting that he was male.

They didn't know it but this meeting led to a relationship that time can't even break.

(^0^)[line]

Tobirama... Tobirama Senju...

That was his name...

As protocol dictates, he took her back to Konoha. But it wasn't the Konoha she knew, her Konoha, her home.

She was interrogated but found no fault to her answers, they may not be lies but they were not the entire truth either.

She was known as Sakura, only Sakura with no last name, no clan, no ties.

She was an excellent medic-nin with the strength of a herd of bulls when angered.

She was a travelling individual who got ambushed on the outskirts of the new village, Konoha.

Sakura had her suspicions but knowing that the man who took her in for questioning just made those suspicions to a living nightmare or dream.

Tobirama Senju, the nidaime hokage...

Future nidaime hokage basing on the current time she's in, the shodaime's period... That sounded a bit wrong...

He was her appointed guard for he was the one who found her.

(^0^)[line]

She lived in the 'past', she's still bewildered by it, for sixteen years, her present age when she woke up in the 'past'.

During that time, she was 're-instated' as a Konoha nin, a hospital was established with Sakura as Head Medic, she was the one who attended to Tsunade's birth and later became a god mother much to her delight...

She became a formidable asset to the growth of Konoha, even with her blindness, but her stay was more meaningful beacause of her growing friendship with the snow-haired Senju.

Sakura felt something more but didn't let her feelings show... She knew her time was nearly up.

(^0^)[line]

Tobirame was hokage for a few years and stress and weariness were eating him up due to the Second Shinobi War.

His team was due for a recon mission in a few hours and he so dearly wanted to see Sakura before leaving.

He knew he loved her, he couldn't deny it.

He never knew his initial interest in her would turn up like this.

He never asked her out for fear of rejection but as he grew more confident, he never had the time for his duties as hokage needed his attention. There's still a lot of time, he tells himself.

Walking up to her door, he knocked.

There was no answer.

He waited then knocked again, a little frantic this time.

The force of his knock opened the door just a crack.

He could not stop the scenarios running through his mind.

Running inside, he tried to pin point her chakra... He found it, it was so small he would not have found it were he was a lesser trained shinobi.

He ran to her bedroom but all he found as he opened the door with force were cherry blossoms landind on the bed...

He can't feel her chakra anymore.

On the bed with the cherry blossoms was a round pendant with a cherry blossom tree growing in the harsh season of winter as decoration. A gift to him from her... or so the note says.

He could not stop the anguished cry that burst out without warning.

She was gone.

His Cherry Blossom was gone.

(^0^)[line]

She woke up to a sore body with people conversing lowly.

"Good, you're awake," Tsunade said.

Tsunade, her shishou... not her apprentice.

"Sakura-chan, you're back!" shouted a certain blonde knucklehead we all know and love.

Sakura smiled.

"It's good to be back."

But the dull ache in her chest refused to go away.

(^0^)[line]

The four reanimated hokages stood proudly at the front.

As Naruto conversed with his dad, Minato Namikaze, she looked at the nidaime hokage, or where she felt his chakra was, and gave him a sad smile, tears threatening to fall down her face.

She loved him but time refuses to let them be together.

(^0^)[line]

He looked at her with weary acceptance...

He knew she was unique but this was over the top.

Nevertheless, he smiled back.

"I'll be waiting..."


	2. Chapter 2

The war turned from bad to worse as time went , friend and foe, were killed left and right.

The hell seemed never ending but one day it will all end with tears and blood.

*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*

Tobirama POV

We called for a retreat, too many were wounded and our forces were diminishing greatly due to untreated wounds.

All kages were to report to the nearest base's headquarters, a meeting will be held shortly afterwards. A meeting with strategies of winning, the usual war meeting but this was more delicate than the others I attended.

Reanimation was a hell in itself. I think I became more nostalgic of memories than I remembered being alive. My mind was on the meeting at the same time it was not, I can't forget the lovely sad face of Sakura-san.. 'It's Sakura'.. Yes, yes, Sakura... I'll have to meet her later. Yes, after the meeting.

I payed full attention to the meeting at hand.

*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*

Sakura POV

A retreat meant hell for the medic-nin, there were too many wounded and too little chakra to spare that some are treated with only bandages, disinfectants and the like.

"Haruno-san, you're needed in tent 4B!" a runner shouted from the entrance.

"On my way," at times like these, I was really glad my monstrous chakra reserves came with me from the past stored in the yin seal, slowly merging with my chakra coils of this time. But being blind was distracting me, not that I needed to see to perform an operation but the darkness provided me with Tobira-kun's face... It was the only face I saw(more like focused on) when I activated the yin seal at half and merged it with nature chakra to burn those creepy creatures away... They had the most twisted and darkest insides out of all the creepiest I've seen, even Orochimaru's experiments can't compare.

I dreaded to enter tent 4B because of the familiar chakra inside. Kakashi. I didn't want to see a comrade suffering but seeing someone considered as family in pain, it was torture.

Steadying my breath, I went in and did what waa necessary. Filling the hole in his stomach and regrowing burnt skin, yes I was glad I had my monstrous chakra and experiences from the past.

ε=ε=ε=ε=ε=ε=┌(;￣◇￣)┘

"What was that all about?" Kakashi was reading his beloved Icha Icha as soon as he woke up, it's his way of coping I guess.

"What was what?" I can feel him staring at me but I can't be sure, I was glad I was blind, his stare would have made me tell things not related with the question.

"Nidaime Hokage," he was flipping pages in the book, looking for a specific line, seemingly nonchalant.

"Ah"

"I could have sworn you had an... interactions of sorts," now he was looking at me again, "...like the both of you were familiar with each other, that sums it up..."

"...Uh"

"What was that all about?" he asked, seriously this time.

I faced his direction with a helpless look on my face, smiling with all the energy I could muster while my emotions were running wild inside. "I think you know the answer to that."

It wasn't quite an answer but it was the one he was looking for.

"It's not possible," he returned to flipping the pages, "how old would you have been?"

I knew he believed me, he had his own suspicions... he was a genius after all. "32"

"Ah," he found the page he was looking for, "Sakura-nee, I have an itch on my butt, can you scratch it for me?"

That cheeky... "Shut up, sensei-gaki!"

With that, I flicked his nose and walked out to tend other patients, "Later."

"Later... Sakura-baachan..." *giggle* I ignored the name in favor of getting out of the tent with a grown man giggling to his porn.

'Now, where was I...?'

"Sakura-san!"

'Ah, over there'

*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*

Tobirama POV

I've been feeling for her chakra signature for the past five minutes.

'This is nostalgic... like the last time when she... came back here...'

"Sakura-chan, you look like you haven't slept for weeks!" ...that sounded like the Yondaime's son... with Sakura it seems. Sharply turning left and to the other side of the tenth is where I found them, found her.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," her voice, still as sweet as I remember. The boy was right, she looked ragged but still beautiful albeit younger looking, just like the first time they met.

She was going to smack the boy but stopped midway as she finally took note of my presence and turned her face a little to my direction. Without a care of the people staring at me, I made my way to her, my hands itching to touch her hair.

"Nidaime-sama!" a blonde girl, a friend of hers, bowed her head with respect. Along with her other friends and passersby. "Nidaime-jiji!" and Yondaime's kid.

The blonde haired girl nudged Sakura whispering, "Billboard brow, bow down, it's the Nidaime Hokage!"

Sakura finally came to her senses, smiled a little and was about to bow her head, "None of that formal stuff now, Sakura."

"Of course, it makes you feel old and stiff, Tobira-kun," and she smiled sweetly I nearly dragged her out of there.

Silence, no one made a single sound.

"If you don't mind, I would like to discuss some things with Sakura. If you would excuse us?" I hooked arms with her.

"S-Sure, go ahead, we don't mind." her blond friend said with a shooing motion.

"Hey, wha-" her friend covered the boy's mouth and proceeded to drag him away. "See you later, Sakura!" they were out no where in sight in mere seconds.

"Later?..." she waved at thin air.

"We have a lot to catch up on," I told her as I led her to the 'Kage' office where the other reanimated Hokages were hanging out.

TBC?

AN: Hello, thank you for those who have faved and followed this story, I wasn't sure yet if I should continue this story but a review by 'flaffy' (you know who you are) prompted me to continue an voila a chapter!~ Sorry of the characters are OOC but that's how I picture them to be.

Disclaimer: Everybody knows that Naruto belongs to Kishimoto... I own nothing but the plot but... Maybe I don't own it because someone did it before me *shrugs* oh well...

Thanks for reading and review if you have time, it makes my day!~


	3. Chapter 3

Hashirama POV

I always saw my little brother as someone who is more honor bound than I. It was the way we were brought up as, but I had my dear Mito to mellow it down to 'bearable levels' as she called it. Yes, my brother was a distant figure to the village but not to me and Mito. He was an excellent shinobi but I worry for him even Mito worries over his emotional state.

Until... he came upon an interesting find. A kunoichi with pink hair but what was more attention gripping was that she was blind... He stumbled upon a capable, blind, pink-haired kunoichi.

She was brought in for interrogation but she came out as not a threat. But I was still on edge, the village was still new, I had no doubt other hidden villages would send spies to look out for threats.

My wariness grew as I found out that she was holed up in a bungalow where she made it into a makeshift clinic of sorts. She spent most of her time there it was unhealthy, she could be experimenting on the people, my people.  
I assigned Tobirama as her guard, she should not be left unattended.

Mito was pregnant for nearly nine months and will be giving birth to our son, I will be a father soon, but that did not lessen my stress levels. Spies are being sent to assassinate my wife and my unborn child.

Sakura-san, she was always there before I even show up. Whenever we tracked a spy leading to our compound, she was always there, a body lying beside her feet, sometimes unconscious, sometimes dead.

I gradually learned to trust her, there was nothing she did to attain distrust...yet.

I trusted her enough to let her be the one to attend to dear Mito's bearing of our child. Little did I know, I was already considering her as family.

After that, she talked to me about establishing a hospital, the council and I did not hesitate to agree with this idea. We sorely needed one but lacked an experienced medic to head one. Of course, she became Head Medic and a number of our aspiring nin who were interested in the art of healing were getting lots of rigorous training from her making our newly established Medic Corps one of the best there is, I'm not even exaggerating.

(Present Time)

And here we are, watching as my brother gently 'dragged' Sakura-chan into the room. I can see that the other Hokages are amused with the sight. I am unsure of what to feel seeing her in this era well and alive.

But if I were alive, I would have been proud of her. Securing her identity to prevent a paradox from happening but a little distraught that she was part of the village he founded with other clans, a Konoha nin who was at out of her time in both time periods(his era and the current era). I felt what this emotions for how I remembered them to feel like and it was intense.

I was glad I had known a strong willed person like her.

Looking at them now, I was saddened at the thought that I knew my brother has feelings for her yet time didn't want them to be together. The tiny smile on Sakura's lips made those thoughts halt, maybe time will be more linnet for a dead man and a woman out of time. Who knows only time will tell.

"Long time no see, Sakura-chan."

She looked at me and I can't help widening my smile as her face broke to a full blown grin.

TBC

AN:  
And here is how Hashirama sees the entering of Sakura into his life.

Thank you once again to those who faved and followed this story, seriously made my day.

Kaname Hatake- I feel the love. I know the feel, there isn't enough fics for this pairing *sigh*.Don't squirm in your seat too much, you might fall down.

silverwolf00- You just inspired me to draw a scenario, lol.

Guest(whoever you are)- Yes, I will be writing more for this story but the update might be slow.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Heads up guys, I will not be updating for two weeks due to being in an area where I cannot connect to Internet. That's why I'm updating this chapter early.

Thanks for reading and review if you have time, it makes my day!~


	4. Chapter 4

Sakura POV

The room was full (there were four of them but you know what I mean) of powerful men, three of them I'm familiar with except the Yondaime Hokage. Three of them I knew personally from a time long ago but not forgotten.

"Long time no see, Sakura-chan..." Hashirama-san spoke first, still sounding as friendly since I last met him. A nostalgic smile came upon my face as I gazed at where I knew he was at. "Yes, it has been a long time, Hashirama-san."

"...what?..." was all Yondaime said.

Sandaime sighed and I'm imagining him rubbing the bridge of his nose. "So it was you all along, Sakura-sensei."

"...Who else would have the same pink hair and green eyes?..." I can't help but tease him a little bit... It was a habit back then but I'm not sure it would be well received now. "True." was his only reply.

"...I still don't get it..." Yondaime was just like his son, a bit dense... Like father like son I guess.

"That's why we're here," I dreaded this moment at the same time wishing for it, they needed closure... especially him. Time to shine... not. I was shaking a little and Tobira- kun noticed, "don't worry, a seal was placed in this room, no one would overhear and to an extreme extent, dare to eavesdrop." That was a relief but that was not the reason for my body feeling weary all of a sudden. Months of keeping it all in and in this very moment, all those locked emotions are threatening to burst out like an erupting volcano...

They were all watching me as I was led into the other side of the table with Tobira-kun on my right and Yondaime-sama on my left.

I could feel Hashirama-san steel himself for the questioning I was about to receive.

"What's your full name?" this is it...

"Haruno Sakura"

"Age?" real or current..?

"17"

"Age?" oh, real age...

"...33"

"When have you returned to your original time?" he makes it sound that this timeline is not my original

"Six months ago"

" What was the term you used when you first saw Mito?" I swear he was having fun with this...

Flashback

I was so nervous. Who could blame me? I was meeting Mito-sama, Shodaime's wife and a distant relative of Naruto... All in all a person far superior than I.

"There's nothing to worry about, Sakura-san. But do present excellent manners." Future Nidaime was droning again with that near impassive face of his or how I picture his face to be.

I lived here for a few months already leading to me meeting Mito-sama per her request. I couldn't wait for another month for the end of my probation and ditching Future Nidaime Hokage... What a long nickname but true nonetheless.

We entered the compound and a while later entered the main house where Mito-sama awaits... Even my way of speaking has changed and whose fault is it?... I must have zoned out again because a laugh that reminds me of wind chimes, as cliche as that sounds, surrounded the room... I feel like I want to crawl in a hole and die a slow painful death...

"Welcome to the humble abode of the main house of Senju."

Gosh.. Even her voice sounds magical. That's when a face of a beautiful red headed maiden appeared in the darkness that I see, the face of the woman before me.

"Oh my Goddess!..."

Someone snorted at my right... It was Shodaime-sama... He entered the room as I exclaimed what I thought Mito-sama was. A slow painful death sounds appealing right about now.

And a melodious laugh filled the room once again... I think I'll go die later...

Flashback End

"... Oh my Goddess..." this time both Senju brothers and I snorted at that memory. It was one of those times where we slowly learned to trust each other.

I could feel Hiruzen-gaki, or Sandaime-sama now... I'm not sure what to call him but he called me Sakura-sensei, being content just watching us while Yondaime-sama was more puzzled now but slowly getting the situation and not quite there yet.

"Glad to have you back," Hashirama-san's friendly demeanor returned. "I would say the same to all of you," was my reply.

Tobira-kun was staring at me... My 'someone's staring at me intensely' senses were tingling and was mostly made by him. He patted my head and let his hand slide down my hair to my right shoulder then he retracted his hand. 'I missed you...' that's what his action implied.

I tilted my head a little and grabbed his nose (after a few seconds of locating it) squeezed it gently, slid my hand down to his shoulder and placed my hand back to my lap. 'I missed you, too'  
This gestures were the ones we did to reassure each other back in the second shinobi war.

They all saw our little interaction but I didn't mind. Yondaime-sama must have grabbed hold of the situation, not entirely but he now understood, for his demeanor changed from puzzled suspicion to that feeling of seeing ten thousand rainbows, the sun setting, the moon setting also, he's there in a gazebo, and Kami descended from the heavens and gave him a million ryos... I kid, he felt like the warm summer sunshine. Such a nice feeling.

It' going to be okay... As okay as war can give...  
And we all didn't know why I went back in time... Fate maybe, now I sound like Neji-san... May he rest in peace.

TBC

AN:  
I received a review last chapter and here is to all of you, THIS STORY WAS MEANT TO BE A VAGUE ONESHOT THUS THE FIRST CHAPTER SO TRY TO TREAT THE FIRST CHAPTER AS A PROLOGUE OF SORTS, hope that cleared things up even if it's a little bit :). I might make a side story of her sixteen years in the past, hmmm.

Note that the flashback was when they were not still close, Hashirama is still suspicious of her, Tobirama still sees her as someone who he's guarding for the time being and it's her first time meeting Mito.

If you discover a "Tobuscusness" in there, kudos to you!~

Lastly, if anyone noticed that the timeline in the past is a bit off, I made it like that because I wanted them both to be in their 'prime' for a dead person and young body. The other reason is that I just liked the thought of Tsunade being Sakura's apprentice. *shrug*

Kanmae Hatake- I know right? X3

silverwolfighter00- Bird is the word, lol XD

Dear U. x .U- Thanks for your review, read above again because it's directed to why the first chapter is like that :)

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.

Thank you for reading and review if you have time, it makes my day!~


	5. Chapter 5

Sarutobi POV

Being a ninja was hard but being a Hokage.. don't even get me started with that. Your morals are being trampled over, they say you don't need emotions in the shinobi world... And they were right but that didn't mean I would abandon my humanity wholly just to be the leader of trained killers.

Yes, when I was young, it was my belief that a true leader is compassionate, kind, caring, at the same time strong, calm, and strict... Many of the older shinobi were mocking me for it... What would a newly minted genin know of our world. I felt disheartened but a new addition to the village made my resolve stronger, I regained my will of fire and it's all thanks to both my sensei and mentioned new addition to the village with outrageous hair and unseeing eyes.

Sakura-san was always there in the sidelines for sensei was the one who got hooked with guard duty. As time went on, from Sakura-san, she became Sakura-sensei... She can kick some serious... ass... with her fighting style and her medical ninjutsu was superb. She was like the cool nee-chan you want to brag to your friends. She mothered our team but it was okay, it felt nice.

I may have been young then but I understood what happened before we left for a mission. She left and sensei was brokenhearted, he may not show it but it shook him. Truthfully, I hated her even if it was just a little. How dare she come into our lives, sensei's life... my life and just leave like that? Sensei couldn't blame me for hating her that time, although he disapproved of it, but I was hurt... we all were.

And just like that, sensei 'crowned' me as Third Hokage and he went off on his suicide mission... It was like Sakura-sensei all over again. I hated him a little for making me Hokage at an early point of life and leaving me to deal with it on my own.

I couldn't blame sensei, I couldn't blame Sakura-sensei... I couldn't blame them... This was the world were it's survival of the fittest. I was not the only one who lost some of my precious people, there were others like me and had far stronger will. It is time to change that. I was given the title of Hokage and I won't dishonor the teachings of all my sensei, I will lead the village to prosperity with the will of fire.

Present Time

I remember those gestures they made up, it was their way of making fun back then, sensei messing up Sakura-sensei's hair to prove that he is taller and Sakura-sensei grabbing his nose for mocking her. It was a fun time but war came and it was their reassurance... reassurance for what exactly?

"Close your mouth Minato-kun, it is very unattractive to look at."

A vein popped in his forehead as he stared cooly at me, "Who's unattractive jiji?"

I sighed and gave him a lighthearted smile, "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

I could have sworn his ears were letting out steam, he was like a toned down version of Kushina-chan.

"Jiji..."

Sakura-sensei chuckled at our conversation. It has been a long time.

TBC

AN:  
Here is the second chapter.  
I would have written Minato's POV but I was unsure of how to write it, I might make him OOC and... yeah.

So anyway, for the first time ever I came to , I didn't know what to read so I left and just surfed.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.

Question: What is one of the most interesting fanfic you've read so far?

Thanks for reading and review if you have time, it makes my day!~


End file.
